Avoid Mazda Hamilton & Stoney Creek.

Former employee here. Let me start off by saying the sales staff and sales managers at both Mazda of Hamilton and Stoney Creek are nothing but amazing and really look out for one another as well as try to get the customer the best deal. (We did not work on comission).

Ok so the reason I'm telling you guys to avoid this place is the owners treat their employees like shit and don't care about their customers. I recently quit because they reduced my salary (without consent or me signinf anything) to be on par with the newer hires that were on a cheaper salary. They also missed other employees pays by 1000's of dollars. Anytime someone made a mistake the owner would just put the employee down without any actual criticism. They are also forcing employees to not tell customers about deals or incentives or the extra fees that we add on that are completely optional. They are breaching the consumer protection act charging more for service then what they should be. They gave us a list of 3500+ phone numbers of people who have serviced a vehicle with us since jan 2015.

Our operations manager is our HR manager and has said she doesnt give a shit aboutnher employees because she can fire and just hire another person so why should she care about her employees. After quitting she is now refusing to pay me the hours i worked before leaving.

These people dont deserve to be in the business. I already filed an omvic and labour board complaint.

Sorry to hear that you had such an awful experience there. I will be certain to avoid those dealerships.

I've found that employers in Hamilton have a really outdated way of relating to their employees. We're not living in the 1970s anymore, but I find that Hamilton often has that backwoodsy, provincial sort of feel to it.

I actually drive out of the city to a different dealership for all of my service on my Mazda just to avoid the bullshit at those two Mazda dealerships. Its really inconvenient, but it's better than giving any of my money to Hamilton or Stoney Creek Mazda.

I go to Probart Mazda in London. Pretty far, however I do have some family that live in London. If I'm driving down to London once every few weeks, I mind as well time it so I can get my car serviced over there too at a much better Mazda dealership.

Everything on this article is 100% true - and the manager trying to dispute that by coming on here and posting a bunch of lies about the OP just further proves how unprofessional she is. Avoid this nasty place, for real.

I once had recall work done there and my car ended up being unsafe for roads a few days later when I was in Ottawa. Found out later that they essentially made one of the new apprentices do the work that they should not being doing yet and really messed things up.They didn't want to pay for repairs at Mazda in Ottawa in order to get it road safe and Mazda Canada had trouble getting them to do it as well.

Luckily my brother is a mechanic and fixed up so at least I could bring it back to Hamilton and get it fixed. Thankfully it was done properly but I brought it somewhere else to be inspected.

End of the day it's stories like yours and knowing that they would prefer cheap labour on jobs that require a journey person mechanic that would keep me away from that place.

You are 100% spot on. They will use new inexperienced employees who dont have the proper training to fix ur car because they want to cut a corner. An oil change cost me 51 dollars after tax as an employee and i get 50% off parts and labour. Customers ended up paying over 100..

They brag that they have this guy that won best mechanic award in canada for mazda but hes just an asshole who yells at people. Steve the service manager is someone i would never want to meet again for the rest of my life.

Dont let service turn you off, the sales team are great people especially stoney creek, I've never worked with a better team than them. Mazda make great cars which are more reliable then most of it's competition.

Car is fine (though I've had more issues than my previous Hyundai - that thing was Toyota-like). Sales team was fine. But I can't go buying a car if I know the service after the fact is going to suck. Not that it matters: I'm counting down the days until Tesla delivers my Model 3 so Mazda wouldn't be getting my business again either way.

I bought one Mazda and will never again. It was an early Mazda 3 hatch and ended up having massive rust problems. It was fixed twice under warranty and then it still came back. You can see some of the early ones around and they have rust everywhere. Around the wheel wells, around the lights at the back. After it was out of warranty and it came back but they wouldn't do anything even though it was an obvious manufacturing problem of some sort. Payed to fix it myself and ditched that car so quick. Never again with a Mazda for me.

I believe there were significant rust problems with the first gen Mazda 3, at the time Mazda was in some sort of partnership with Ford and got cheap steel. They are no longer in a partnership with Ford, and the steel is no longer an issue.

That is great for the later cars that had the problem fixed. Except Mazda never stepped up and did anything about it for the earlier ones. They knew there was a manufacturing defect that shouldn't have been the responsibility of the user. The paint on ours was bubbling around the wheel well at only one year old. That plus the dealer service sucked so I will never purchase a Mazda again.

Another previous employee here. I fully back up everything the OP said and just signed up for Reddit so I could add more;

We were being forced to work 9am - 9pm shifts without a signed contract which violates our workers rights as the max is 8 hours. Our new hire employment package had nothing about hours in it, just stating that we are to be paid x amount salary. We get nothing if we stay longer to do a delivery for a customer.

We are also made to put on an optional security etch product on all brand new cars the moment they come off the truck. So you are forced to spend extra $$$ but then during negotiations, we were told by the director/hr NOT to remove it off a deal but rather say "I cannot remove it, my finance manager will remove it" and then sign a deal, then have the finance manager try to sell it.

There's more too... but this post would be insanely long.

Honestly. It sucks. We REALLY had a great team. Like seriously. Even the team before us I heard was great, until the owners came. Whenever they were present in the building, everything was always high pressure, and very high stress. Therefore making it difficult for the "Mazda Experts" (since we are not commissioned sales people, more money for the owner). But as soon as they left the building, all the stress left with them and we could enjoy doing our job and working as a team and actually sell cars. Car sales is all about attitude. owner and HR treat their employees like complete shit, and wonder why their performance isn't good enough, so their employees are either fired, or quit, and then hire new salespeople with zero sales experience (usually young kids, early - mid twenties) and take advantage of them, unaware that at any other reputable dealership, will pay them decent commission, and not minimum wage salary, working extended hours...

I have a new and interesting twist to the mazda hamilton story! Its locally known by independent shops that theyre awful, but they shit the bed with local ties maybe a year ago? Im not sure, anyway.

Most dealerships will deliver new parts, when bought via a independent shop, and deliver it to you, and you pay via delivery, or various accounts, whatever.

The shop I worked for ended up calling in for a part, and they had a new policy via the shop manager, that all parts were now paid up front (and require 2 day delivery) before they would even take the order.

This was a stark difference than basically the way the entire auto industry works in Hamilton. A&A, HDAP, Every other dealership, Carquest...the list goes on as far as the names of 'sources' for parts. They were demanding payment before a part arrived, and also on a schedule you cant compete with (parts get delivered all day, hourly almost)

best part? Burlington Mazda saw this as a business opportunity, and hired more staff and deliver to a larger area now.

If you want better service, It seems Mazda Burlington is the way to go, but I always recommend a good local mechanic. Dealerships suffer because they are franchised, and the techs are flat rate, and therefore encouraged to cut corners in order to make a living wage.

Oh boy, you guys are so want to believe on evilness of these places that don't even think when hear a story of this kind! I don't know if I should even start telling you the true version or let you go on. Anyway, you decide! Let me know and I will gladly explain to the intelligent ones out there.

If you really don't think you did anything wrong you wouldn't be so defensive. You would take this in just like how every other business takes in bad reviews. I don't see the CEO of apple or other major companies creating fake reddit names and hiding behind a keyboard and calling people unintelligent. Very professional HR department

Weird, they've always been super helpful to me. Wife had a brake sensor fail. They replaced it with a faulty one. Ended up stealing it from another dealer, installing it, driving my ass around everywhere while they had my car, and machined my rotors while they were at it... For 55 bucks. The parts guys are also amazeballs. Always willing to show me how to install a part myself, ask a mechanic for advice etc. They know I'm a DIY'er and have never threatened /fear mongered me even though I do my own work, unlike my Honda dealer...

I'd like to also add that I was doing ALL their inventory work including pictures and managing them on the website. I was also doing all the work of an assistant manager but they didn't want to give me the job despite the sales manager saying that he wants me as his assistant manager.

Thanks for the heads up. I'm glad that I didn't end up purchasing there when I was in the market. I will be purchasing another new vehicle within a year from now and will absolutely avoid that dealership. Thanks for the heads up and sorry about the BS you and your coworkers dealt with.

Hrmm.. sounds like an all-out Mazda boycott is in order. What about Burlington Mazda? Any word on them? I just bought a new car from them, if I had heard this earlier I would have avoided them altogether.

Reason I stopped going to stone Creek Mazda. Service had been fine. Priced as advertised etc. I lost my wheel lock key, so I called Mazda. They wanted to charge me 60$ to use their master set to take off the 4 wheel locks. I had the originals to go back on. I was ready to offer one of the guys in the back cash.

Instead I went to princess auto, bought the 30$ kit and did it myself.

Eff you Mazda dealer!

But good on you for getting out of there. It does not sound like a good work environment. Sounds like you should also get all of your jobs they get you to do in writing that way they can't dispute you doing the inventory and pictures and all that stuff.

Since you felt obligated to share your horrible employment story with the public; I thought it would be a good idea to check on your story! So, you were hired as a Product Presenter at Mazda of Hamilton (selling Cars)! here are some facts for your fans here! You got caught on action! while at shift driving UBER? missing days after days of work, disappearing while at shifts, not following your managers directions and etc. Finally, your manager at Hamilton decided that he had it with you so to fire you! horrible manager, owner (you name it)? However, someone (HR Manager, another horrible manager) at the dealership took a pity on you ( your being short of money and all) and transferred you to Stoney Creek Mazda. WAIT, STORY GETS BETTER! poor you, YOUR INSURANCE GOT CANCELLED! your....... ratted you out to the insurance company since you were driving Uber! wow! bad timing! happened right when you got transferred to Stoney Creek location. In no time, your personality and performance showed to the new managers at Stoney that you were bad in sales and will be no asset to them. Therefore, the manager at Stoney started using your little computer skills and put you to do some data entry and taking pictures since having you on the payroll. in meantime. WAIT FOR IT! YOU STOLE A DEALER LICENSE PLATE driving for whole month without informing your managers (thinking no one will notice anyway). your bad luck again! the owner caught you right on the lot and confronted you with what you have been doing being illegal and theft! He could have fired you but he took a pity on you (he is mean). For a while everyone who worked with you helped you to get around, you even borrowed money from people at work! That HR Manager , talked to you in private and warn you for your poor performance as well as a heads up for the change of pay plan a month ahead of time. I'm positive every intelligent person reading your story out there now, is thinking wow! get real body, you got busted and quit your job. You could have been charged with theft and negligence! instead, you only got a notice of a pay cut! since you were kind enough to share your employment story with the public. I can not wait for you to share your next employment story! YES, BIG SHOCKER! its 2016 and not 1970! we need to think, act and work like 2016 not 1970! anyone of us want to strive for better must rise above and move away from mediocrity! PLEASE DO NOT POISON GREAT MINDS OUT THERE WITH YOUR IDIOCY! ITS ABOUT THE TIME, Hamilton is getting some face lift and make over big time! laziness is not tolerated and rewarded anymore.

Wow TrueOrFiction aka Kelly AKA HR Manager AKA Operations Manager AKA Assistant Sales Manager, you should quit your job as HR manager and Owner and scammer of the Mazda Hamilton to become a novelist. That title would probably suit you better. I love your twist on this story. So far I see 32 vs 1 here. You keep talking about said "HR Manager" but cannot even address the fact that it's you? Grow a pair maybe?

In employment law, constructive dismissal, also called constructive discharge or constructive termination, occurs when an employee resigns as a result of the employer creating a hostile work environment. This is whats happening right about now. Look it up. Let me share with you my opinion on this whole situation. READY?

You:

Reduced my boyfriend's pay without him signing or agreeing to it. You talked about the change of wages in a passing conversation. If he was going to sign for this, he would have quit then. You also mentioned that the change of wages will take in effect on October 1st. Then why was his last pay significantly reduced? His pay and the pay of SO MANY others. Because “your business isn’t doing well” isn’t an excuse to lower employees who signed a contract and are on salary.

Eg: Your employer is prohibited from adversely changing your job in any significant way. If your employer does so, this gives you the right to a legal claim referred to as a constructive dismissal. In essence, it permits you to treat the employment relationship as over, leave work, and then sue for severance as if you were fired.

2. You are calling him out for driving for UBER? What are you? A cab driver? Why don’t you go petition outside city hall to ban Uber? As far as I know, driving for UBER isn’t illegal. What he does outside of work as a second job doesn’t change the fact that you reduced his pay.

3. So tell me this, if you are the HR MANAGER AND OWNER and you are clearly saying that he calls into work and “disappears” during his shift, then why wasn’t a verbal and written warning given? I mean you are in HR for goodness sakes. If you felt like he was calling in (like regular employees around the world), then he should have been reprimanded or talked to the day of and not months later.

4. THIS IS HILARIOUS. So his PERSONAL INSURANCE got cancelled and he was having some money issues is YOUR concern? I am SO HONOURED that you are diving into our personal life. HOW CONCERNED OF YOU. WOW, so HARD to believe that a 26 year old is having money issues. SO HARD to comprehend that a 26 year old asked a FRIEND to borrow some money and PAID HIM BACK IN 2 WEEKS and that was THEIR agreement. How that concerns you is confusing to me. Did that require you to cut his pay AND not pay him when he quit. The jury says no. 5. he STOLE a dealer plate? HAHA. How funny. You better check your sources. He was GIVEN that plate. I mean one minute he had the OK to do it, then No, then OK again. Just like when he was IN TRAINING to be promoted and he was promised a pay raise. But then you backed out with the pay raise and STILL made him to do the work. Don’t get it twisted hun.

You want to talk about how lazy and unproductive my boyfriend is at work you have another thing coming. You make your employees work 12 HOURS without overtime pay and ONE ½ hour lunch. Then on his days off you make him come in, which he doesn’t complain about. He gets unpaid sick days but when he works for 12 hours he doesn’t get overtime. From an HR perspective, IF you are talking about how he was taken pity on, and his performance was bad, etc…You should have had all this in writing. The dealer plate is the ONLY thing you have in writing. Please tell me HOW over 8 people have quit in the span of 6 months if what you are doing is SO perfect. The fact that there are so many responses here make me think it’s something you’re doing wrong.

You are bringing up petty issues like Uber, and him not having money, and poor performance. Something EVERY 26 year old employee goes through. For this, reducing his pay without written contract and not paying him for the days he worked before he quit makes it worthy of reporting it to the labor board.

His personal insurance covers for UBER and it has nothing to do with Mazda. I don't see the relevance of UBER with this situation. Mazda doesn't pay for his uber bills. Again uber and his personal insurance go hand in hand. If you have a problem with passengers and thier safety then bring this up to uber or the city. Not mazda.

.... Quit hiding behind a keyboard kelly, posting shit like hr manager ect.. You are the HR manager.. Also theft? Ooooo okie and what people cant take sick days you dont pay me when i dont come in so why the complaints. And my insurance is my business my ubering is my business what does it have to do with anything.

You clearly dont know what HR even is you come on here and post that? What are you 5 years old?

So you think it's acceptable for your service manager to harass and constantly put down your employees and make them feel like shit, yeah eh. Some service manager you're , Kelly. As well as swear at them

heh ... They used to be Grand Prix Mazda on King E. There was a suspicious fire there once ... Place almost burned to the ground. Then the dealer moved to Upp James and changed names (still same principals at the time)

Worst place I have ever worked. Service Manager Steve was an absolute dick . Constant harassment, put down, treating me like shit, for God knocks why, racism I',m assuming. I caused an accident there, which was wasn't my fault. The other person that caused the accident got away scott free. I had to deal with all the damages.

Piece of shit Steve found a creative way to let me go, Service Manager. Honestly, everytime I asked him a question, he would say 'I don't know" . REALLY ?! What kind of manager says I don't know to an employee. What kind of idiots work at this shit hole. I regret applying there to begin with.

So I agree 100% with the OP. Another ex employee here. This HR/GOM person should not be in the position they're in you can't have upper management also be in charge of HR. Because it's Human resources job to be the voice of the worker and to make sure everything runs smoothly between the two. They are also supposed to be there as a means for employees to talk about problems with the management should any arise. I have never been so disrespected by this person who "doesn't like having conversations" because she doesn't have to since she's also the GOM. Well I'm sorry as per your role as HR MANAGER you have to talk to people. There's also this thing called customer service and you need to take quite a few lessons in it. You do not shut off lights and lock 2 out of the three doors on your employee while he is on a test drive with a potential sale because it's 850pm the dealership closes at 9. I'm sorry that's why we get paid that "good money" you call a salary. So we can come early and stay late to get the job done. Also if the sales manager has made promises that some body repairs are to be made to a vehicle for a sale and it's in writing, it's not your job to say no it's a used car too bad. It's in writing that's a legally binding contract so instead of fighting with the employee who apparently didn't work hard because he asked you if you could make it happen as his delivery was scheduled 2 days later you could have been part of a solution instead of making another speed bump for your employee. You said I didn't work hard yet my first month I seen only a few customers and closed 25% of them. For a first time sales person who made his phone calls and emailed people and tried to go the extra mile for his guests so they'd be happy that's pretty good. And yes I did get frustrated at times because if anyone has 6 people all above you telling you what to do ya it's frustrating when things conflict. As per my "poor performance" I do work hard especially when I did every dealer trade last week for Mazda of Hamilton because those sales people can't get their own cars. And I stayed late on those drives in horrible weather, all the way to Barrie and back and etc all the well knowing I lost chances to make sales. You asked me to do that and I didn't complain and now I pay for it because "I'm not making you money" well maybe if you didn't send your salary employees out on 400+km road trips to get cars for your other dealership maybe we'd be able to make you money. Regardless I'm happy to be gone. Showed up early every day and did what I, was asked and asked questions if I didn't understand anything but apparently that's not good enough if for the greediness of the owners here. So I implore people not to work for Mazda of Hamilton or Stoney Creek it's not worth your time or effort to be treated as we all have been.

Forgot to mention that the Service Manager, Steve, almost tried to kill me, as well as the other passengers on the red hill by constantly changing the years, was an automatic. All because he wanted to rush from point a to point b. I was driving legally, and told me "I was going too slow", and to pull over to the side, and allow someone else. Steve is a maniac driving, he shouldn't have adriving license at all